Broken, but not defeated

Our Financial Counsellor Tina saw a single 68 year-old lady who relies on pension payments of $1,022.15 per fortnight. She pays $525 per fortnight to her mortgage and recently had to take out a loan to repair her collapsed roof (not covered by insurance) and repays an extra $100 per fortnight. An income and expenditure statement depicted a $221.35 deficit per fortnight.

The house is starting to fall into disrepair and the client cannot afford maintenance. One of the most urgent issues is recurrent plumbing issues with her toilet and a plumber has told her it cannot be fixed. The client’s 4 year old grandson regularly stays with her due to his mother’s mental health issues, and it is extremely distressing and unsanitary when the toilet will not flush. The client also suffers from pernicious anaemia so hygiene is extremely important. Due to the client’s financial commitments and low income, she is not in a position to be able to pay for a new toilet and given her debt to income ratio she would not be eligible for a WANILS loan.

Tina asked The Wearne Trust to consider her request on behalf of the client. The application was successful and they approved a grant for $1,199 and the client now has a new toilet.